The Southern Giant Petrel and Rockhopper come face to face in an almost comical standoff

The photographer spotted the predator while standing on some rocks, shooting the penguins as they swam back to shore.

"I noticed a lone Southern Giant Petrel, seemingly asleep, close to the shore line,” he said. "I continued to photograph nearby, keeping an eye on the petrel.

"After a while I observed that as each wave of penguins arrived back to the beach, the petrel would become alert, opening its eyes and focusing on the arriving birds.

“The penguins are instinctively wary of potential predators and despite the petrel’s best stealthy efforts to remain undetected, the penguins would spot the petrel and either give it a wide berth or dash back to sea.”

With its 7 foot wingspan, the size difference between the two birds are very evident

“At this juncture, I feared the worst for the penguin and was preparing for a gory ending. But it managed to keep edging closer to the shoreline.

“On land, the penguins appear awkward and run in a scuttling manner using their front two flippers as legs, but in water they are in their element and their streamline bodies and powerful feet and flippers allow them to swim at rapid speeds.